Racial Jokes and Chris Rock

I see a lot of stuff on the internet about Chris Rock's performance. Mostly I see stuff from the African American Community about how they were disappointed by the performance and they usually highlight the lynching joke. From the Asian American community I mostly see disappointment about the Asian joke. I hven't seen anything from the white community about Chris Rock's performance, but I bet some people just thought it was too much and that he went to far in pushing the whole Hollywood is racist thing. Some people will just come out and say it. Some people will just think it.


Mainly when I see this stuff I notice one thing. I cringed at the Asian joke but I did not even bat an eye ate the lynching joke. Isn't that interesting? But after I cringed at the Asian joke I was sort of like, "Okay c'mon this is what he is doing all night."

Except, he didn't dare make a gay joke.

"No jokes here. I'm not getting in trouble."


Okay but what did I think of during the performance when I watched it?

I never really watch the Oscars, or I just watch it because Grace is. I don't care. But I watched the whole thing that night because Chris Rock was so good. He is a master at blending the teaching moments in with comedy. And if you were to watch his 90's stuff... he definitely tailored his stuff to the audience.

This may sound silly but let's just look at his performance without a racial lens for a moment. I mean imagine there is no controversy, or that you are some alien outside the human race that just doesn't care about these issues. Watch Chris Rock's performance and all the other hosts performance.....

Chris Rock was WAY better than any of those previous hosts. C'mon. James Franco? I love the guy in 11.22.63 but he was a horrible host. Anne Hathaway? Hugh Jackman?

Neil Patrick Harris was good. But was he anywhere near as good as Chris Rock?

NOOOOoooo


and


Billy Chrystal. Now remember his joke about the Green Mile guy thinking ,"I see white people."

Billy Chrystal was good but was I drawn to the performance so that I could not stop watching? No

Chris Rock may have been the best host.

Be the uncomfortable thing is that it's like he is like the black man entertaining white people.... but the whole time there is Fight the power and all that. So it's like a lot of stuff is the same... but it's just that Black people are more voal abut it now. Why?

W. Kamau Bell had jokes about how now that Obama is President... and then he said F some black performer or whatever. The point being, there were things that African Americans could say before or were afraid to say before. But now they feel like they can because Obama is President. But now he's leaving office too and there is this feeling of, "Can things get worse? Are things getting worse?"

Also there was a belief, who could feel it the nigh Obama first won, that Obama was going to be some sort of Messiah. I had fear of what would happen when I KNEW he would not be able to change anything. The President does not control our hearts and minds.


In any case. Chris Rock was an amazing performer and if you look at his other work, on African American Hair extensions and how they are bought from India and all that.. I mean I'm not going to criticize him for his Asian joke.. because what about the countless black jokes.. and white jokes. But it would be cool if he reached out to the Asian community after this and maybe worked with Eliot Chang or made a documentary about black people who do Kung Fu and really like Asian Culture.. something like that.